Sector Detector: Bulls Pause to Celebrate 2-year Anniversary

OptionMonster submits: Today marks the two-year anniversary of the V-bottom that launched an impressive bull market. Since then, the S&P 500 (SPY) large cap is up about 95%, while MDY mid cap and IWM small cap are up about 135%. Leading sectors include Basic Materials, Industrials, and Financials, which are each up at least 150%. Pretty impressive. Much of the fuel for the persistent rally has come from QE2, in which the Fed prints money and employs its Permanent Open Market Operations (POMO) to buy Treasuries from the primary dealers in order to keep rates down, and that cash generally goes into equities and commodities. However, QE2 is supposed to end in June, and the promise of a QE3 is dependent upon things like oil prices, which could undo all that the Fed has accomplished in stimulating the economy if they continue to climb much higher. Oil is hanging around the $104Complete Story »

What do a Catholic college in Connecticut, a popular outdoor apparel company, and the state of New Jersey have in common? They all seem to have nothing to do with beer, yet they all have craft beers created in their honor. It’s understandable that when craft beer companies hit major anniversaries, they want to celebrate—and perhaps milk the milestone for a boost in sales—by doing what they do best: producing unique craft beers.

What do a Catholic college in Connecticut, a popular outdoor apparel company, and the state of New Jersey have in common? They all seem to have nothing to do with beer, yet they all have craft beers created in their honor. It’s understandable that when craft beer companies hit major anniversaries, they want to celebrate—and perhaps milk the milestone for a boost in sales—by doing what they do best: producing unique craft beers.

Doctor Who was a science-fiction BBC TV show about a time-traveling humanoid alien. Today is its 50th year anniversary. To celebrate that, Google has created an interactive, multi-level game. You choose a character and then try to beat six levels, avoiding aliens, ghosts and more to flip switches, obtain a letter that spells "Google," and get back to a phone booth. Google times you on your mission to grab all the letters. Here are some screen grabs below:

INTEL -- "The microprocessor has been the engine of the digital revolution that has changed our society dramatically over the past few decades, democratizing access to information and making for a more equalitarian world.